Colleen Hanabusa rallies EMILY’s List support

Hawaii Rep. Colleen Hanabusa has already picked up some powerful backing in her anticipated campaign for Senate, from the national Democratic women’s group EMILY’s List.

A spokeswoman for the organization told POLITICO Tuesday that it expects to support Hanabusa in her campaign to unseat fellow Democrat Brian Schatz, who was appointed to the Senate late last year after the death of longtime Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye.

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“The 2012 election was a mandate for women’s leadership and Colleen Hanabusa has a proven track record of putting the women and families of Hawaii first. The EMILY’s List community would be thrilled to support another progressive woman leader from Hawaii in the U.S. Senate,” EMILY’s List press secretary Marcy Stech said.

EMILY’s List was heavily involved in Hawaii last cycle, backing then-Rep. Mazie Hirono in her successful bid for the Senate, and boosting Tulsi Gabbard’s winning campaign to succeed Hirono in the House.

Private polling has shown Hanabusa in a commanding position to challenge Schatz. A survey taken for Hanabusa in February and leaked to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser had her 22 points ahead of the incumbent, leading 54 percent to 32 percent.

Democratic strategists say that other, more recent polling has put her ahead of Schatz by a similar margin – and also showed Hanabusa strongly positioned in a governor’s race, if she’d decided to run in a primary against Democratic Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who appointed Schatz to the Senate.

Schatz has collected support from one critical wing of the Democratic coalition, winning the endorsement of the League of Conservation Voters in March.